A Nevada man packing a blasting cap in his luggage was stopped as he tried to pass a security checkpoint today at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Syracuse police said.
Anthony Montoya, 20, of Spring Creek, Nev., was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor, Sgt. Tom Connellan, speaking for Syracuse police, said. Transportation Security Administration agents made the discovery at 9:05 a.m. when Montoya's luggage was placed in an explosive screening device, Connellan said. The luggage was quarantined and part of the ticket area was blocked off by officers from the Syracuse police Airport Division, Connellan said. The department's Hazardous Devices Unit removed the blasting cap.
"This is not a bomb," Connellan said.
The non-electric blasting cap was connected to 16 feet of shock tube, Connellan said. The equipment is used to detonate commercial explosives, such as dynamite, Connellan said. If the cap and shock tube exploded, it could have caused injury to anyone nearby, Connellan said. Montoya was recently fired from a Gouverneur mining company and was on his way back to Nevada, Connellan said. There was no indication Montoya was going to use the blasting cap for any criminal activity, Connellan said. Montoya is expected to be arraigned Sunday morning in City Court.
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/05/man_at_hancock_airport_caught.html
Muslim Extremists Attack Gaza Elementary School
Sunday, May 06, 2007
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Muslim extremists in long white robes attacked a children's festival at a U.N.-run elementary school with guns and homemade bombs Sunday, killing a politician's bodyguard in plain view of terrified youngsters — just the latest incident of lawlessness engulfing the Gaza Strip.
The new Palestinian unity government, formed two months ago, appeared powerless to end growing clan fighting, kidnappings and attacks by shadowy extremist groups on foreigners, music shops and Internet cafes. Hours after Sunday's attack, which also left seven people wounded, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas were meeting in another attempt to put together a security plan.
Excerpted
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270306,00.html
French media sources revealed that French security services arrested a French young man from Arab origins last Saturday indicted with the establishment of direct contacts with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat –GSPC- in Algeria.
The same sources made clear that the 34-year old B. Kamel has set contacts with the GSPC via Internet since a year, the same sources added that the French information services who supervised the operation have found explosives for ammunition and automatic gun manufacturing. In its first statements, the defence denied the fact that their client activities are based on religious or dogmatic objectives, but rather on pure political convictions they have not revealed.
A judiciary source unveiled to France Press Agency –AFP- that the arrested suffers from light psychological disturbances, which does not prevent him distinguishing his behaviour, the fact that means he takes on the whole responsibility for charges indicted to him by the French justice.
Noteworthy, the arrest intervenes as a result of French information services activity intensifying recently after the terrorist attacks that shaken Algeria and Morocco, especially given the fact that it coincides with the French presidential election campaign undertaken under tightened security measures.
http://www.elkhabar.com/FrEn/lire.php?ida=68223&idc=52
Powerful explosive device rendered harmless in Grozny
05.05.2007
A powerful homemade explosive device has been rendered harmless in the Zavadsky district of Grozny. As Itar-Tass learnt at the Chechen Interior Ministry on Saturday, on Friday morning, during engineering reconnaissance, officers of the Military Commandant’s Office discovered a radio-controlled homemade explosive device planted in a drain-pipe passing across the carriageway 1,300 metres from the check point on the territory of the Zavadsky district.
The explosive device consisted of a 152-mm artillery shell, a plastic bottle with explosive and an electric detonator. It was rendered harmless on the spot. At present search measures are being taken to establish persons involved in planting it.
Besides, a homemade explosive device was discovered and rendered harmless on the territory of a cemetery in the village of Nozhi in the Vedeno region. The explosive device consisted of a half-litre plastic bottle with powder of silver colour and electric wires.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11500546&PageNum=0